New Approach Missouri: Working Hard to Bring Medical Cannabis to the Heartland – Oregon Cannabis Connection

Since Missouri is not only my literal birthplace, but also where I started my cannabis law reform activist career, I have been paying a lot of attention to New Approach Missouri’s effort to legalize medical cannabis statewide. I am pleased to see that the New Approach signature-gathering effort is going so well that the group has collected a great chunk of the valid signatures needed to place a medical measure before Missouri voters this November.

New Approach Oregon Director John Payne had this to say about the “Show Me” state’s current campaign to legalize medicinal cannabis, “Our campaign has collected more than 180,000 signatures, which puts us approximately 60 percent of the way to ballot qualification, and we will submit our signatures ahead of the May 6 constitutional deadline. We know that nearly two-thirds of Missourians support our initiative, so making the ballot is likely our biggest hurdle. We hope our amendment will serve as a model for many of our neighboring states and also spur reforms at the federal level. Both of our senators—Roy Blunt (R) and Claire McCaskill (D)—are influential within their caucuses, so winning their active support could propel greater legislative protections for medical cannabis patients and providers.”

Last year my heart sank, along with those of patients and advocates in